11 March 2008
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Jack Straw has appointed Professor Carolyn Hamilton and Mr Peter Smith to the Legal Services Commission.
The two commissioners will start on 1 April 2008, for four years.
Professor Hamilton is a nationally and internationally recognised expert in family justice with many years of experience in child and family law, as an academic, practising barrister and Director of the Children's Legal Centre.
Mr Smith has worked in procurement for 25 years and served the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply as Chairman of the CIPS Board of Management and President of the CIPS Council.
Jack Straw said:
'I am delighted that Professor Hamilton and Mr Smith have accepted appointments to the Commission. The Commission is working closely with the Ministry of Justice to create a sustainable legal aid scheme and contributes to the government's programme to reform the justice system. The experience of the new Commissioners will be invaluable in helping the Commission to achieve its goals.'
The appointments are made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice.
Notes to editors
1. Carolyn Hamilton holds a Chair in Law at the University of Essex, is the Director of the Children's Legal Centre and Senior Legal Adviser to 11 Million (Office of the Children's Commissioner for England), a part-time practising barrister at 1 Kings Bench Walk and a member of the National Family Justice Council.
She works closely in a variety of roles with the family judiciary, the Bar, solicitors and non-governmental organisations. In her role as Director of the Children's Legal Centre she works as a consultant for UNICEF, European Union programmes and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on policy and practice reform in the field of juvenile justice, child protection and education, mainly in the ex-Soviet states.
She is a member of a number of professional societies, including the Family Law Bar Association, and is a well-known child and family lawyer who has researched and published widely.
2. Peter Smith is owner and Managing Director of Procurement Excellence Ltd, and has worked in a consultancy capacity for the last five years. He has 25 years' experience in procurement, supply chain and commercial issues, and has worked at board level in the public and private sectors.
As Procurement Director at the Department for Social Security in the mid 1990s, he worked on a number of large government contracts including the PRIME property PFI, and IMPACT, the outsourcing of the Benefits Agency Medical Services operations. He was also Procurement Director for the NatWest group, where he managed significant professional services expenditure. More recently he has worked with a range of public sector organisations and with Transparency International, a leading global charity that campaigns for open and honest government.
3. Remuneration for the appointments is £348.36 per day, with an expected time commitment of between 20 to 30 days per year, to be reviewed after the first year. Travel and subsistence expenses are also reimbursed.
4. The Legal Services Commission is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and is accountable to the Lord Chancellor. In addition to the Chair, Sir Michael Bichard, there are currently nine commissioners. The Chief Executive, Carolyn Regan, is responsible to the commissioners and is supported by four executive directors. The Legal Services Commission runs the legal aid scheme in England and Wales. Working in partnership with solicitors' firms and advice agencies, it ensures that some of society's most vulnerable people get the information, advice and legal help they need to deal with a wide range of problems. These services are provided through two schemes:
- The Community Legal Service which is a network of organisations which funds, provides and promotes civil legal and advice services. Quality legal services are provided for people who cannot afford them, by matching priority needs with available resources
- The Criminal Defence Service which provides criminal defence services to those suspected or accused of crimes.
5. Commissioners contribute to the work of the Legal Services Commission according to their experience and abilities. Members have a duty to bring an independent judgement to bear on the commission's business and are expected to observe the highest standards of personal honesty and integrity. Members are expected to adhere to a code of conduct which sets out, for example, rules on declaring conflicts of interest and on the acceptance of gifts and hospitality.